Are there places left where one could hike in to the wilderness, camp and fish? Catch a few trout and not feel guilty about frying them up. Set up camp near the river, out side of the park camping pad. Are there places left where one can get away from the crowds and Ranger Rick...

Sure, but most people will not talk about them, because they've found them the hard way. I'm sure though that if one wanted to find such a place that the Black Forest Trail would be a good place to start.

I think the easiest thing would be to get information on hikes that you would be interested in, then see what streams you would cross.

There are a number of good hiking trails in PA. Some would take a week or longer to hike end to end. I don't believe you would NEVER see civilzation in that time, but you would cross a number of good streams.

The backcountry streams are mostly wild trout streams. It's fun to go back in there and fish them. The surroundings are beautiful and the trout are too. But those wild trout populations are very fragile and in my view you shouldn't kill the trout in those places. The places where you can kill some trout to eat without feeling guilty are the stocked streams.

I respectfully disagree with troutbert. If you are hiking into a stream more than a mile from access points, you will do very little, if any, harm to the stream if you take a handful of wild trout for your campfire. Now if you are going with a small group, I think it would be recommended to only take an aggregate of 4-5 fish from any particular half-mile stretch of water. Harvest only really becomes problematic when your small handful of fish are multiplied by a dozen anglers doing the same within a season. I don't think this multiplication effect will be at work if you've hiked in a substantial distance from access. If you are unsure, keep every 4th or 5th fish, just to be sure you aren't cleaning out the reproducing population. Also, if the trip is to take place soon, you may be interfering with mating, so be a little extra careful.

Posted on: 2006/11/5 14:46

_________________I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.

Is this a rhetorical question? There is perhaps not a better state than PA for what you are seeking. The reson for that is because extremely few people in this state are willing to venture off the main trail. I can think of places in each region of the state that you would be hard pressed to find another person.

The AT by Mont Alto State park is very nice.The North Country trail by KinzuaThe Laural Highlands trail.

I would guess that on most of the streams that you would encounter on these trails the fish you harvest would probably be to only ones this year taken.

Beware the Blank forest...after college graduation I wanted to spend week there "living off the land." Second night into it at about 2 in the morning there was a bunch of gun fire in VERY close proximity to my remote camp site. I hiked out in the dark as soon as my legs quit shaking.

“I would guess that on most of the streams that you would encounter on these trails the fish you harvest would probably be the only ones this year taken.”

“If you are hiking into a stream more than a mile from access points, you will do very little, if any, harm to the stream if you take a handful of wild trout for your campfire.”

“Even when hiking a mile or more to fish - and I really think such a hike discourages almost all catch and keep types...”

A lot of people seem to think that if you hike back a mile or so that almost no one goes in there and harvests the wild trout. Boy, I wish that were true. It’s not though. Not at all. Certainly not in the middle and north central areas anyway.

You are not permitted to harvest any wild trout now, anytime after September I believe. I have always wanted to pack into an area with a few streams to try and I believe I would enjoy doing so in the fall season to miss the bugs. There are definitely streams that fit your requirements but sometimes a mile may not be enough away from the road for "true" wilderness fishing.Jim Kearney

Posted on: 2006/11/7 17:03

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“If you are hiking into a stream more than a mile from access points, you will do very little, if any, harm to the stream if you take a handful of wild trout for your campfire.”

Just to pile on... Be sure to check the laws on any campfires you start. There are regs for State Game Lands and State Forests that you will need to be aware of. Ditto for camping.

I believe SGL's forbid both camping and fires. Forests, I think, permit them with permits, but you need to apply for the permits in advance. A butane camp stove may not have the same elan as a camp fire, but they are safer and legal.

Pad's Qutoe... "I believe SGL's forbid both camping and fires. Forests, I think, permit them with permits, but you need to apply for the permits in advance. A butane camp stove may not have the same elan as a camp fire, but they are safer and legal. "

No it is a refrence to "Flyfishing the 41st" a book I am currently reading by James Prosek. It was an organization he founded as a joke because they fished around the world reguardless of local regulations....or permits.